Tarrant Appraisal District responds to claims about data breach, says investigation ongoing
The Tarrant Appraisal District said Wednesday that claims of a data breach are “unfounded and unsupported,” according to the firm it hired to investigate its information technology system.
The district posted a brief statement to Instagram the same day Fort Worth real estate agent and tax consultant Chandler Crouch claimed in a video that the district server containing sensitive taxpayer information had been exposed on the internet. The appraisal district is responsible for appraising property values for tax purposes in Tarrant County.
In the video Crouch did not name the source for his information. In an interview with the Star-Telegram, he said he had heard from “multiple TAD employees, and other sources,” although he declined to name them out of fear they may lose their jobs.
Crouch protests tens of thousands of properties per year for free.
Sometimes clients upload their entire closing statement as evidence in a protest hearing, and that’s some of the information that was left exposed, he said.
During the TAD board’s Nov. 17 meeting, outgoing chair Tony Pompa said the district would terminate the investigation into the information technology system. He said the firm found no signs data had been taken from the district’s system.
However, the investigation is still ongoing and some of its findings could be available as early as next week, said Matthew Tepper, a Round Rock attorney hired by the appraisal district.
It’s not clear how much of the report will be shared with the public, Tepper said. The decision will be based on whether any information compromises the district’s cyber security.
Cyber intruders had the ability to access taxpayer data in October 2022, but so far the investigation hasn’t shown anyone outside of TAD did that, he said.
The board is expected to have its next meeting Dec. 21 at 2500 Handley-Ederville Road. This would be the first opportunity to share any of the reports findings.
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